


Stalwart Silver

by DoggieCornerW



Category: Original Work
Genre: Canceled, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Demons, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Gaelic Language, Gods, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Paladins, Roman Catholicism, Scotland, Scottish Character, Tuatha Dé Danann
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2013-08-07
Packaged: 2017-11-15 13:00:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoggieCornerW/pseuds/DoggieCornerW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short story taking place in Modern Europe. In Italy, The Catholic Church beseech the services of an ageless warrior boy, a so-called Paladin, named Airgid to battle against demons led by a Fomorian avatar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ancient Entities in Modern Days

**Ancient Entities in Modern Days**

Rome, Italy, the ecclesiastical capital city of the world even in modern times.

At dawn, a private worship was believed to be commencing inside St. Peter's Basilica. Those who wanted entrance faced not only closed shut doors, but also the Swiss Guard. Seeing the Guard in their brilliant orange, red, and blue striped uniforms was enough to captivate the curious eyes of people rambling around St. Peter's Square. It was an abnormal sight to see since congregations were usually public, and especially since the last ones who entered the Basilica were only two people.

Six people paced through the nave leading to an over ninety foot (or over 27 meters) bronze baldachin towering over the Basilica's altar. The Renaissance Period, which birthed in Italy and marked a prosperous change in human culture, radiated everywhere from the building. The tall columns, the walls, and the domed canopy over the altar were embellished with stylish Baroque images. Four ivory statues of Saints stood in the dome's pendentives. Each statue carried a tool that distinguished their identities, from the spear of St. Longinus that pierced the helpless but forgiving Child of God while he was pinned on a cross, to the cloth of St. Veronica that carried that same Son's countenance after being wiped with it.

"Rome asks for forgiveness of the Ancient past. Conquest comes not from bloodshed or hegemony, but the wealth of the Message, Christ who is ahead of our lives as the spirit of virtue." A man with a very gentle voice said.

The group finally reached the altar; a boy and a middle-aged man, prostrated before an elderly man who wore a white, majestic cassock. Standing by his side was slightly younger man in a black cassock, and both were flanked by two Swiss Guards. In addition to his red ankle-length robe, the elder wore a camauro, which is a round wool hat with an ermine trim, and a red mozzetta cape underneath the cassock. He looked as regal as a king before the two. The boy and man bowed their heads to the only ever descendant of the first Apostle of Jesus, The Pope.

"Your Holiness, I hold no grudge. How Earth has progressed up until now is impressive, but evil deeds still occur. But no matter what, continue following the welfare of Light." The one to reply to the Pope's words was the boy. Even though he had the voice of a preteen, he had an eloquent cadence that made him seem far older than he appeared.

"Thank you  _palatinus_. I called you here to alleviate the hidden chaos of Rome. You seem to be familiar with such an incident." Said the Pope.

The boy raised his head to look up at the elderly figure, "Yes," He merely said, and then the Pope began to explain,

"As a former Cardinal, I had heard of your name through the Roman Curia. But this is my first time meeting you. You are known as the 'silver stalwart boy' and were in the service of a few of the previous Popes."

The boy grabbed the visor of his flat cap and slid it off his head to reveal a unique sight. As if he grew old way before his time or as if not a drop of chemical matter touched him, the boy's short hair was pristine white. It was completely devoid of color.

"This is a symbol of the one who gave me life. It is also one of the reasons why I have my name." Said the boy.

" _Palatinus_  of Light, Airgid Calmagasur, tell me. The power of the devil truly manifests in a form familiar in tales?" The Pope asked.

"Devils hide in the shadows, abducting the weak in order use them. No matter the change in Faiths, the devil is still the same. In this case, the devil takes the form of flesh-eating monsters." Airgid explained.

The Pope nodded his head, "Go on."

"Long ago, a wicked giant known as Balor of Eye was defeated by a hero of Ireland. He died when the hero gouged out his only eye with a spear. It was said that the eye was so powerful that it could hypnotize an entire tribe of semi-divine beings. That eye fell and melted into the Earth's soil, spawning demons across the planet." Airgid paused to catch his breath, and discerned the shocked faces of both The Pope and his consultant in the black cassock.

He continued, "Where I'm from, we simply call the monsters 'The plague of Balor's eye'. They can take simple monstrous forms like with claws and teeth, but they can also take possession of the human body."

For the knowledgeable, Balor of the Eye was a god from the ancient Celts's pantheon. In these days, the conversion of Christianity pervaded Europe, and it was unheard of to see a follower of a Celtic entity existing in current time. However, today's Pope was regarded for being a forgiving and acceptable person, and he treated Airgid well despite the gap in religions.

Good and evil were all the same, and there was evil hiding deep within the holy city of Rome.

"I have been fighting the Plague in my home of Ireland too. They are merciless and do nothing but prey upon the weak. Even in death, this is Balor's retaliation." Airgid said.

"Young  _Palatinus_ , I ask no more but to save us with your service. Suppress this evil." The Pope asserted his order, softly placing his crinkly hand onto Airgid's head of white hair. The boy bowed down his head again and there was a moment's silence between the two. Airgid took that time to contemplate his next words, which took the form of a question,

"Your Holiness, you don't think that I slander what you stand for?" After asking, Airgid felt the Pope rub his head with slow left and right strokes. Like a devoted father to his son, it felt affectionate. That, and the Pope's next words, confirmed the link between the two holy entities.

"In my youth, I read a story about a giant named Ferumbras." The Pope began. Curious, Airgid raised his head to look up to the elder.

"He and his father were thieves and faced against the knights of King Charlemagne, but Ferumbras was defeated. He had a change of heart; he joined the King and became a Christian. In other words, no matter what, all faces on Earth can commit to good." The Pope said, "Despite your heritage, you are for humankind. Brothers, sisters, love and loyalty, you care deeply for that. I can tell in your eyes that you carry a steadfast bosom. Still, I am surprised. It is like you are indeed close to a God"

Airgid smiled, "I'm not a God at all, Your Holiness, but just a messenger. I am the same as you. I'll do what I can to see it so that humankind attaches to good."

Both Airgid and the middle-aged man by his side, who remained quiet through most of the conversation but introduced himself as Airgid's "follower" William Lucan, stood up and gave the Pope and his consult a few final words, "May not evil prevail."


	2. Beauties inside the shadows

After sunset, spreading throughout the gardens of the Vatican was a hellish, echoing screech. A ray of light sliced through the air and tore off the crooked wing of a black beast. Another creature shrilled and dived from a broad-leaved tree, outstretching its claws towards a figure in white attire.

Airgid gestured his arm, and the demon grasped an object. A hot-white flash suddenly emerged from within the demon's talon. The beast backpedaled, and it gave time for the white-haired boy in front of it to lunge.

Airgid brandished his weapon the  _Roinn Solais_ , and the monster wailed as it fell to the ground asunder. The two creatures, or what remained of them, burst into dust as their lives were extinguished.

"Deadly! Your accuracy with the  _bogha_  is still of good use, Calmagasur," a female voice praised. Hovering around Airgid's head was a spherical form of light. It was small, no bigger than a tennis ball. Instead of paying the light any mind, Airgid raised the  _Solais_  closer to his face, examining its white double-edge blade. The weapon, as if to complement the lad, has a small dimension: the blade's length was nearly sixty centimeters, similar to the Roman gladius.

The light sphere buzzed in between the blade and Airgid's face. "Calmagasur, how many suns and moons do we have to stand here?" It asked. The female voice that praised the boy's technique had come from the sprite.

"Until we find and destroy the demon responsible for the disappearances Dalma," Airgid replied calmly. He left the grove; for the night, the demons halted their activity.

On the next night, Airgid was making way to the same grove from his last battle. Vatican City was well known for its amassed gardens. The demons of Balor's eye came out at night, mostly situating in tall trees to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Vatican's infrastructure, and of wandering human prey. While Airgid couldn't see the demons, as the foliage masked their appearances, he would feel a biting headache and a shudder of his knuckles as a sure sign that they were nearby. The involuntary pain was a clear reminder of their vileness, and that he was the treatment to wiping them away. The demons, had they took chase to retribute death to the paladin last night, would've never had the element of surprise.

* * *

The white-haired boy, armed and ready with his  _Roinn Solais_  sheathed against his waist, the  _Roinn Bogha_  slung over his shoulder with a quiver full of arrows, and two  _Daigéar Solais_  daggers holstered to his arms _,_  was about to leave the paved streets and enter the gardens. Then, he heard tender steps behind him.

"Who's there?!" Airgid placed a hand on his sword's hilt and spun around. He felt no presence, but his eyes met a face.

Stepping out of the shadows from a nearby alley was a girl. Her posture looked hesitant, her legs and arms squeezed together.

"Ah?" Airgid relaxed his grip on his sword's hilt. "Who are you?" He sounded very surprised; he, in all honesty, could not believe that a little girl was out so late. The girl frowned, looking like she regretted following Airgid. She had a petite form, maybe looked no older than twelve, and wore an ankle-length strap dress. The girl's mouth parted to answer, and out came a high, panicked cry.

Airgid felt his hair rustle as a shadow leapt over his head. Jagged horns stretch out towards the frozen girl.

"Stop!" Airgid grabbed one  _Daigéar Solais_  from his arm holster and threw it. A screech rose from Balor demon's throat, the pristine knife biting into its back. The black monster dropped against the paved road, sliding across it. It gave Airgid the chance to lunge in a hurry, and he drove his  _Solais_  into the demon's back. It dissipated into dust, and Airgid picked up his dagger.

"You saved me," the girl said, sighing with relief.

As a response, Airgid gave the girl a sober glare. "Young lady, you shouldn't be here. It's dangerous," he stated.

The girl had to react hastily: she laughed from feeling surprised. "'Young lady'? Why do you talk like that? That's weird." Truly, if it weren't for Airgid's striking appearance, the two children were equal. They were nearly the same height, their features young and tender.

"Who are you?" Airgid asked, sheathing his sword.

"Diana Valle," she replied. She then shook her head, "There  _were_  monsters. Mother and father weren't killed by bad men after all."

Airgid frowned. Despite not being human, he wasn't immune to compassion, or to the charm of the opposite gender. Diana had a small, round face and blue eyes hallowed by innocence. While Airgid was ageless and blessed with courage, Diana was a real child affected by the result of Balor's eye. Airgid sighed and turned to retreat in the awkward moment; Diana suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Wait, who are you? Why are you fighting those monsters? You can kill them right?" she asked. Airgid remained quiet; next to his ear, the sphere of light from yesterday suddenly came into sight.

"Le'im go!" Dalma blurted, her accent thick. The little will'o'wisp flew around Diana's head. "You're impeding his duty. Mind your business and go home. Go on, scat! Past your bedtime you nipper." Diana ducked and dodged, waving her arms around like she fought against a pesky insect.

"Stop that!" Airgid commanded, pointing a finger at the light.

"Whoa? What for, Calmagasur?" Dalma asked. The will-o'wisp calmed and slowly floated in between the two; they said nothing.

"Hold. You're going to be a bugger for that girl, right?" Dalma zipped up to Diana's face, "Look here now and for good. You're gonna home, for the best."

Airgid kept silent, watching the two in their banter. The little will-o-wisp flew around Diana's head once more, avoiding the girl's swatting arms. Diana whined, but she stood her ground and didn't retreat. Yet, she was aware of being so close to the demons' territory.

 _The core demon in this area has to be found_ , he thought and turned his back on the two. He began to enter the grove, and his thoughts were resolute, _I can't let more people like her suffer_.

Diana and Dalma stopped fighting only when they heard the sound of crunching grass from Airgid's steps.

"Hey wait!" Diana made a chase for him, but Dalma quickly flew in front of her.

"Did I say it's past your bed, babby?" the will'o'wisp said.

"But I can help." Diana swerved her head as she pleaded, but with every motion Dalma moved into her line of sight. The will'o'wisp continued to pester, clearly aggravated, "Cop on!" she said. "No sense at all. Them demons will shred you! Do what now? Be a diversion?" Diana shook her head.

"Look babby, Calmagasur is a class warrior. This is his work to do, and we're not twisting hay. Now scram!"

Dalma continued to impose dismissal, but Diana remained stubborn. The little girl shook her head again, "But I might know something. I hear about a jammed bar in the Vatican."

"Hold? You're actually joking."

In conventional human thought, the parallel words "monsters" and "devils" had two wide-known views. One view was the fabled antagonists of children's stories, which boasted claws and horns that could rip through stone and crush bones. They stole children from their mothers, took them to their dens, and ate them. The other view was akin to puppeteers: figuratively, they were body-takers. They made a body act against its usual self like a marionette, causing a human to do despicable things and become hated within his or her own home.

Monsters and devils, by and large, were grotesque and wicked in their core. Airgid could slay all the garden demons as much as he pleased, but it would not put an end to it all.


End file.
